My attention has been drawn to an advertorial published in
The Pioneer Newspaper, Monday, 24 February, 2014 by the Registrar, Uyo-City
Polytechnic, Mrs Idara Aquaisua titled: RE:
A GOOD FRIEND IS BETTER THAN A BROTHER.
Ordinarily I would not have bothered to respond to Mrs
Aquaisua’s cheap-publicity-seeking mission because of my respect for the
Institution and her person but the allegations are too weighty to be
ignored. Also, the content of the
write-up is “the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau”. To put it clearly, even
with the risk of fighting the acclaimed tiger, Aniekan Umanah is the author of
the write-up. Why Mrs Aquaisua, a responsible and articulate God fearing woman
condescends to a point of allowing herself to be used as hiring for cheap
blackmail by a man who should be busy projecting the good works of Chief
Godswill Akpabio administration is what I am yet to fathom out. Equally
disgusting and curious is the use of her institution’s letter headed paper for
the hatchet job.
What on earth would have allowed Mrs Aquaisua to succumb to
such indecent act as lying against my person? Did Umanah bribe her, or did he
promise to use his connections in government to offer her an appointment? Or
was she intimidated? This is gross irresponsibility in high places.
For the umpteenth time, Aniekan Umanah should desist from
chasing shadows and be responsibly “Honourable” for once by stating facts. Up
till now he has not replied the 14 Questions I raised. But has advertently
resort to blackmailing and assassinating my character. Perhaps soon, Umanah
will come out to accuse me of impregnating his girlfriend and likely with a
screaming and sensational headline, “Fredfish, Youth Activist Impregnates
Commissioner Umanah’s Girlfriend …seeks abortion”.
That aside, the Uyo-City Registrar has clearly exposed
herself and her reputation (if there is any left) as being Bought for a spoon of “pottage” and “bias” in a matter she would
have gone straight to the point and state her case or stay clear.
Mrs Aquaisua left facts which she could have established and
sought to become Aniekan Umanah’s Chief Spokesperson and Communication Analyst
when she said “…the said write-up-an outpouring of angst, venoms and
vituperations on Mr. Aniekan Umanah, the State Commissioner for Communication
by Mr. FredFish, who hails from the same local government area as Mr. Umanah”.
For Christ sake what was her business with the mode of my
communication with my elder brother, Commissioner Umanah from my Local
Government Area? Does she really know what ethnics means?
Anyway in the advertorial she claims I have no business
whatsoever in Uyo-City Polytechnic. In truth, and without any intention to
impugn her character, the fact that the statement emanated from her office
raises more than a question on her competency in superintending over such
exalted office in the institution of higher learning.
I stated in one of my replies to Aniekan Umanah who accused
me of being idle and a tool in the hands of blackmailers that I have been
teaching as a Part-Time Lecturer in Uyo-City Polytechnic since November 2013,
which is a fact. But from Mrs Aquaisua’s denial, it is certain that she do not
know the venue of the Part-time programme not to talk about knowing the
teaching staffs of the School.
Why would she say I do not teach in an Institution I have
been lecturing in two programmes since last year November? If I have no
business in the school, let Mrs. Aquaisua come out to tell the world the name
of the Lecturer for the following courses:
1. Introduction to
Local Government Finance LGS 103 - HND I
2. Local Government
Administration II LGS
102 - ND II
I can not hold claim to what I am not. If she does not know
me as claimed, my students know me well enough. The Deputy Coordinator of the
programme who engaged me knows me and my name is pasted on the Notice Board of
the school along with other lecturers who were allocated courses for their
different programme.
For a woman of her caliber to be cheaply used by Aniekan
Umanah to blackmail me says little of her person. Until Mrs. Aquaisua provides
the Akwa Ibom populace with the name of the lecturer taking those two courses,
I have instructed my lawyers to begin the processes of taking legal action in a
Court of competent jurisdiction.
…Of Aniekan Umanah And
A Life Touching Movie
Meanwhile, Chief Godswill Akpabio did not only give Akwa Ibom
people an entertainment centre in the establishment of the Ibom Tropicana viz a
viz the Cinema, but had also created avenue for thought provoking and life
touching lessons to be learnt through movies, especially local ones.
As I sat back and watched the local movie entitled: The Brothers Keeper, where two identical brothers, Chudi and Chude,
struggle for power, woman and money ended up tragically, my mind reflected back
to my elder brother, Mr. Aniekan Umanah,
Commissioner for Information and Communications.
Chude killed his only brother, Chudi so as to lay hold and
claim the family business and estates as well as his twin brother’s wife,
Duben. Unbelievable but true, he killed his only brother because of money and
woman.
The movie confined me in sobriety as I ponder how I had
offended my elder brother, Aniekan Umanah to deserve the persecutions,
intimidation using State resources and venom being poured on my person.
I went back, through his reply to my 10-pages letter countless
times but found nothing worthwhile to hook on to as my offence against the
“almighty” Aniekan.
The following questions kept reverberating within me as I
recollect the smiling face of Chude in the movie even at the point where he
orchestrated his brother’s death:
·
Is Aniekan Umanah
truly from Abak Local Government, same place I come from?
·
If he is from
Abak, can a brother so disperse a younger brother in the most malicious way
Umanah has done to me?
·
Am I a politician
or have I declared to contest any political seat in Abak?
·
Aniekan Umanah,
why are you terrorizing me?
·
According to
Umanah, I extorted money from well meaning citizens in the State. I have waited
patiently for weeks and even challenged such as person to come out with
details, did any body come out?
·
Even if I did go
about to plea for money, when has it become a crime to solicit for funds to
pursue a case that sought to protect Akwa Ibom interest?
·
Did I win the
case against TELL Magazine at the High Court?
·
If I did, why is
my brother Aniekan Umanah aggrieved about it?
·
Do I have to take
permission from Aniekan Umanah before going to see the Governor who sought to
see me after speaking with me on phone?
·
Has the governor
so far refuted my claims that he did not give me his word to continue with the
case?
·
Did the Governor
or any government official at any time ask me to desist from pursuing the
matter in Court?
·
If the Governor
asks Umanah or any person in the State to go ahead and pursue a particular
matter, will such a person decline the order?
·
Would that not be
insubordination and subverting authority?
·
What is Aniekan
Umanah’s word against the Governors’ to may have asked me to forget the TELL
matter?
·
Whose interest is
Umanah serving, his or the governor’s?
·
If Umanah claimed
I was not the author of the TELL case, how did I find myself in Court?
·
Does Aniekan
Umanah or his brother, Uwem, know the colour of the skin of my lawyer they
claim they hired for me?
·
Was I hired by
Umanah to go to Court and for how much did he hire me to go and risk my life in
place of his blood brother?
·
Is Governor
Akpabio not a promise keeping man with honour?
·
If the Governor
has paid a Yoruba man Adekunle Oyesanya (SAN), from Lagos his legal fees in the TELL matter, is
it not obvious that the Governor would have approved the payment of the legal
fees of my Akwa Ibom lawyers?
·
Aniekan Umanah,
who has collected my lawyers’ legal fees?
These are the questions inherent in my 10-pages letter I
expected my elder brother and “Honourable” Commissioner to answer instead of
looking for a way to blackmail and call me names. “He who lives in glass house
does not throw stones”. Sir, I know my background and upbringing, so stop
wasting your time looking for dirty to use against me, you will certainly find
none.
I have decided to leave these questions in public domain
because adding one or two answers to those questions will unravel the true
position about my face-off with our “distinguished” Commissioner from Abak. Let
me reiterate here that I do not intend to run for any political office in Abak
by 2015. I can only be available for any person who wants to contest as a media
consultant/political analyst and not as co-contestant. At the same time, I am
not at league with any politician from Abak Local Government Area, in any way.
They say “a good name is better than silver and gold”. It is
time for examination of conscience. Aniekan Umanah should prove to the world
his good name and legacies by unraveling where my lawyers’ legal fees approved
by the governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio disappeared to, and stop being
childish. If he is idle, let him engage himself with any recreational sport.
That is the crux of the matter.
I still love my elder brother Aniekan, but he should
endeavour to be a genuine brothers’ keeper.
God bless Akwa
Ibom State.
Tom FredFish.
(Youth Activist)
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